1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is a light fixture of the type that conforms to is mounting location.
2. General Background and State of the Art
Fluorescent lamps of present fixtures are arranged linearly. Thus, the lamps are side-by-side or end-to-end. Some fixtures use curved lamps, but the lamps are designed to allow a single lamp to extend along the sides of a fixture and have the sides interconnected.
Belfer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,139 (1993), is an example of a light fixture in which the lamps mount end-to-end. Belfer mounts each u-shaped lamp on a ramp or at an angle so that part of one lamp is above the socket of the adjacent lamp. This arrangement is said to decrease or eliminate shadows above the sockets. Therefore, the light is said to be more even. The lamps in Belfer are aligned in a straight line. Applicant has discovered that allowing the lamps to be other than aligned may be desirable.
Flexible light fixtures with flexible parts do exist. The flexible parts are usually resilient and often resist staying in an angled orientation. Examples include Belfer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,460 (1995), which teaches a lighting fixture with several support sections. Each carries a fluorescent lamp. Adjacent edges of adjacent support sections attach together through a flexible connection. Nagano, U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,816 (1995) teaches a fixture having multiple housings. Short sections of flexible electrical conduit fixed to adjacent housings attach adjacent housings together. The flexible conduit permits bending of adjacent housing. These partially flexible fixtures normally do not permit extensive lateral changes of the position of the lamps. The teachings of the prior art discussed above are incorporated by reference.
One object of the present invention is to provide a lighting fixture in which the user can position the lamps closer and farther apart so that the lamps can be spaced evenly along a given length. For example, assume that one wants illumination to emanate from five lamps behind a six foot wide panel or sconce. Unless the fixture providing the illumination were six feet long with evenly-spaced lamps, the lighting would not be even. Any shorter fixture mounted in the center of the panel would leave darker regions at the ends, and larger fixtures would not fit.
The previous example assumed that the lamps would be in a straight line. Many architectural features are curved, angled to the horizontal or vertical. Mounting straight fixtures in such settings also leaves uneven lighting in places. Therefore, another object of the present invention is to allow the lamps to be mounted at angles to each other so that they can conform more closely with the shape of their panel or wall. Moreover, a related object is to have the ability to adjust the angles quickly and have the lamps remain in the set position after they are adjusted.
Another object of the present invention is to allow the lamps to be mounted at different attitudes and to be adjusted to those angles quickly. The lamps of prior art fixtures all direct light in the same direction, e.g., upward or horizontally. For some uses, one may want one lamp to project most of its light upward while an adjacent lamp projects most of its light horizontally or at an angle.